“Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.” Julie Andrews

I recently talked to a relative I hadn’t heard from in years. It was an interesting and semi awkward conversation but ended positively. As we were catching up, she asked the question, “are you still doing that thing?” I proceeded to ask, “what thing?” She said, “you know, that business.” I said, “yes.” She said, ” Really? (with a shocked tone) How is it going?” I said, “Incredible!” She said, “you know Kristen, that’s something I have always admired about you, you never quit.” I said, “I appreciate that, but when you love something you never let it go.” She said, “but how can you love something like that?” I said, “It’s not about what it is, I can choose to do a lot of things that aren’t all that glamorous, it’s more about how you feel when you are pursuing it. It’s not just a business to me, it’s a way of life. It’s who I am. There’s so much more to it than just a business.” She said, “interesting, well I am happy that you are sticking with it.”

Perseverance is rare today. Alternatively, I could say quitting is too common today.

Most things are easy to start; a job, a sports team, a musical instrument, a church, a school, a business, a marriage, etc. But the problem lies not in starting something, but sticking with it. I am not going to say that I have never quit anything. I have quit a lot of things; in fact way more things than I can even count. And I am not proud of it. But I have also learned along the way that quitting is the ultimate failure and if I wanted to stop failing, I needed to stop quitting. Orrin Woodward wrote an incredible article called, “Start Starting; Quit Quitting.” He says, “quitters never win and winners never quit. Despite the times when a person feels like quitting, ignore it and persist; despite the times when a person feels like a failure, ignore it and persist. Invariably, the biggest breakthroughs occur when the person refuses to quit notwithstanding the present dismal results. Persistence in a just cause through numerous failures builds character and determines whether a person joins the ranks of perpetual winners or perpetual quitters in life.”

Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? The tortoise persevered despite his obstacles.

What happens with most people when they start something is they get bored. They start to fall into complacency and get distracted; they forget the reason they ever started. In the tortoise and the hare story, the hare started out great. It came so easy to him until he got sidetracked. He thought success was assured. The tortoise on the other hand just kept plugging along, recognizing that in order to win the race he just had to keep going, keep persevering and stay focused. And ultimately, the tortoise won! We as humans fight the same battle as the hare. We are constantly distracted with outside influences that fall out of line with our plan and purpose. And instead of continuing to move forward, despite the distractions, obstacles and temptations, we quit the journey or just start something new. A cycle like this comes with constant disappointment and unfulfillment.

And sometimes we find ourselves trapped in something that doesn’t align with who we are or what we want to do. In situations like this, it makes it difficult to persevere.

We have to remember that time is the only thing we can’t get back. And while there are a lot of worthy endeavors to pursue, there are equally as many less worthy endeavors. I committed to a summer softball league for four years. I love sports and I love competition. So anytime I had the opportunity to join a team, I seized it. It started out as just a co-ed recreational semi-competitive amateur league (wow, what a mouthful). Our team wasn’t the best in the league but we weren’t bad. We just loved to win. Initially we had games once a week. Then we threw in a practice every week. Eventually we played in tournaments and spent time at the local corner bar that sponsored us. And before we knew it, we were committing a lot of time to this softball league. I was so committed that even after I moved from Kenosha to Waukesha, I would drive an hour two ways just to make our games and practices. While I don’t want to offend anyone if they are committed to something like this, I want to make a point that while it was fun, this type of commitment wasn’t really in line with the life I wanted to live. So we have to be careful and remember that when we start something, it should align with our purpose and priorities.

But when you do find that ‘something,’ never quit, persevere and give it all you got.

Summer Leadership Convention 2006

There is no greater feeling in life than winning. Although I should be more clear. There is no greater feeling in life than winning at something that matters. I joined the community building industry in 2006. At the time I didn’t know what impact it would have on my life. I didn’t have experience in working with people or building a business. But I was ALWAYS looking for something to be a part of. Up until that point, I hadn’t found that one thing that I knew I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I take that back…at the time I did. It was basketball. However, I knew I wouldn’t be able to pursue basketball for the rest of my life. But when Dave Chatmon and our little group found the TEAM, Orrin Woodward and George Guzzardo, our lives began to change. It wasn’t the business that started to change our lives, it was the community and the cause that the business supported. I had finally found something that could make a difference in people’s lives and that could make a difference in the world. It was worthy and fulfilling and something that I could be passionate about. I have found more recently that when people take a look at the-life-business they think, “wow, that’s attractive! I can see myself using this information and sharing it with others.” And it’s not until they discover their own testimony and hear the stories of success that people start to develop a heart for the battle. I feel the reason most people don’t persevere or persist long enough to reach a certain level of success is because many times the obstacles in the battle seem bigger than their reason to continue. Meaning, their dream or cause isn’t big enough. But when a person discovers that dream worth fighting for, there is nothing that can stop him. There is no obstacle big enough that can stop me from pursuing this cause. I have such a long way to go and this is a lifelong endeavor for me but I have developed a heart for the battle and I believe there is no greater worldly cause we can pursue than building a LIFE community.

I was learning about the concepts of leadership development as I was making my way through college so I had a pretty clear picture of what real leadership was as I was seeking employment. In my first year of teaching I was placed in a charter school in the inner city of Milwaukee. Just like any college graduate, I was excited to start my career and I didn’t care where I taught as long as I could get a job. I went into it with high expectations knowing I finally had the opportunity to work with professionals who cared about what they did, worked hard and supported their co-workers and students. What I didn’t anticipate was the lack of leadership in the building.

Guzzardo says, “leadership includes qualities like vision, integrity, morality, competency, work ethic, hunger, and servant-hood. Those qualities can be applied to our personal lives, professional lives and our businesses. Looking around the world can you recognize the void in leadership? An entrepreneur always looks for a void to fill and there is no greater void than leadership.”

This void was evident when I started working for this school. It is always expected that administration would be the first line of support when it comes to leadership. We have all witnessed in business what happens when leadership is lacking. Accountability suffers, tension and pressure rises, support is minimal, passion is non-existent and laziness sets in. For a first year teacher, the most difficult task is finding a system that works for you as you develop relationships with your students while creating an environment for growth and learning. When leadership from the ‘top down’ doesn’t exist it makes it nearly impossible for your system to work.

This particular school was K-12. I taught physical education and health and was responsible for creating the health curriculum for the elementary branch because there was nothing in place when I was hired. I remember very clearly a situation that happened between myself and the assistant principal. I was entering the door of a 5th grade classroom ready to teach a topic to the students. Because of the demographics of this school, I was constantly challenged with behavioral problems and fighting. After the first couple of weeks I knew what to anticipate each day as I entered the doors of these classrooms. This particular class was extremely difficult and of course I had no support from the classroom teacher. As soon as I came in, the classroom teacher would leave the room and take their prep with little communication about what was going on with the students. Long story short, a fight broke out that day between two boys while I was teaching. I took the necessary steps to try and de-escalate the situation before the fight happened but it was too late. According to their peers, these boys were going at it all morning and it only took an unfamiliar face to give them a reason to ‘finish the job.’ I called down to the office immediately to get help from security and administration to get these boys removed from the classroom. As soon as security came and took them the assistant principal had the nerve to stand in front of my class and announce to the students that I was a first year teacher who didn’t have much experience working with inner city youth. To get information about why the fight broke out, she did a question/answer session with the rest of the students to get details on what happened with the two boys. I was fuming with anger as I stood in the back of the room watching this all unfold. Not once did she communicate with me to get information, she failed to call in the regular classroom teacher to get her perspective on the situation and worse she put this image of me as an ignorant, inexperienced teacher in their heads. Working in a school like that requires thick skin and a very strong demeanor. I was finally starting to develop that with these kids and with just a few words she destroyed my ability to teach these students. I knew they would never give me the attention and respect that was needed to be their teacher and ultimately that’s exactly what happened for the entire semester. Each time I went into that classroom I was fighting for respect and each day I left I was defeated all because of the lack of leadership displayed from that administrator.

I don’t think I need to list all the things that were inappropriate and unprofessional with this situation, it is clearly obvious. And the reason I share this example is because it’s proof that when leadership is lacking, it affects everyone and everything.

Not only do we need leadership back in our schools, our churches, our local businesses and our families, we need leadership back in our country. The leadership in our country is obsolete, that too is obvious. But instead of griping and moaning about what isn’t getting done in the White House, we need to instead point the finger back at ourselves and ask what we are doing to affect change in our own lives.

The-life business is all about taking information that makes a difference in people’s lives and sharing it with others for the purpose of affecting change. Partner that with the TEAM training system which focuses on the development of leaders and you have what I like to call a leadership development empire. Guzzardo states, “There has never been a more important time for a leadership movement.” There is a void in leadership everywhere we look. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. Will you join forces as 10’s of thousands of people carve their piece out of the leadership development empire that will soon change millions of lives?

How does one define their finest moment? When we hear the phrases, “This is my time. This is my moment. This is my hour” we often think of something glorious… in a worldly way; the winning shot at the buzzer, a long football pass that leads to a touchdown as the clock runs out or the perfect high note in a singing audition. In the-life-business, Orrin Woodward uses the phrase, “dream-struggle-victory.” And many people might agree that it is the ‘victory’ that defines a person’s finest moment. While it may look that way, many people’s finest moment does not occur when the lights shine upon them or when the crowd is cheering.

“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.” — M. Scott Peck

Let’s take Jesus for example. Jesus’ “finest hour” was different. Unlike in the movies or what we hear in the media, Jesus’ moment was anything but glorious by worldly standards. His hour was when He was lifted up on the cross; and it was anything but magnificent in the eyes of those who were there. They actually considered it as a defeat, even his disciples did. But it was Christ’s finest moment, for through His crucifixion He paid the price of our salvation. In his disfigured bloody body, He defeated sin and Satan. And there was nothing pretty about it.

A soldier’s finest moment is not when he receives a medal of honor, but it is when he is in the battle field; where he is fighting for his life and his country. Because only in the battlefield can a soldier know how much courage and self-sacrifice he really has. No soldier gets a medal of valor sitting around the camp.

A coach’s finest moment is not when he took his team to National’s as the underdog and won the championship game. It was when we was sitting in a locker room with all his athlete’s who were crying and ready to quit because they were so discouraged and he was able to influence and motivate them to practice harder, study harder and play harder than any other team in the country.

Here is a fantastic video that helps sum up this article:

It may be discouraging to know that our finest moments usually occur when we are in the trenches of life. Life’s hardship can be overwhelming. Our fears, anxiety and emotions can overpower us. They can devastate us and bring us down to our knees. But adversities reveal to us who we really are. It shakes all that is superficial and leaves what is real. Strength can only be confirmed when it is tested. The strength of a tree and its roots can only be tested amidst the winds of a storm. The strength of ship can only be known if it survives the tempest of the sea. All that is weak shall fall. But if you stay strong and faithful, you will discover that it was in those darkest hours that you had your finest moments.

In the-life-business, Orrin Woodward never claims that the journey will be easy. The world is the enemy’s playground and with that comes daily struggles. One of my favorite quotes comes from my mentor George Guzzardo. He says, “Be at peace with the process and nothing can hurt you.” You will find that your finest moments came when you were at your worst, embrace them.

I would love to hear your feedback. What were some moments in your life that you can look back on as your finest moments? Please comment below.

Recently I have been reviewing Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady’s best selling book, Launching a Leadership Revolution. This was the first leadership book I ever received and read and I have re-read and studied this book more times than I can even count. I absolutely love it and it’s a favorite of mine. My most recent talk for the-life-business was at an open meeting where we reviewed the three levels of motivation found in Woodward and Brady’s book.

When you begin to study motivation, it really does motivate you! I spent some time talking with a woman who was 82 years old the other day. She was in an assisted living facility where, because of some health issues, she couldn’t take care of herself on her own anymore. Her husband had already passed away and she only had one son who never married and moved away about 13 years ago. I could tell there was an emptiness inside her as her only son calls about once a month and has only visited once since she first moved in over a year ago. I began to ask some questions about her life and some of the memories she had from when she was younger. But the responses I got were completely not what I expected. I knew this was a divine appointment.

Looking back on her life, she shared some regrets. Her first regret was not having more children. In her generation, it was not uncommon for families to be 5-10 children deep. She had mentioned that in her earlier days, prior to being married, she experienced sexual abuse which scared her to the point that she never wanted to get married or have children. She said that if it wasn’t for the stigma and pressure for women to be married back then, she might have been alone her entire life. She carried that fear with her and was never able to resolve it even after having a child. She said her second regret was not having a better relationship with her son. She knew that he was her priority but because she couldn’t erase the memories from her past, she just ‘did what she had to do’ to raise her son but that was it. As he grew up, he became more and more distant to the point where he moved out at 16 years old. Her son is now in his early 50’s and he too never got married or had children. Her last regret was that she feels like she wasted most of her life by living in the past. She told me that as a child, she wanted to be an actress and travel all over the world. She loved being in the spotlight and making people happy and said she was a very lovable young lady. After the abuse, she couldn’t imagine being in the spotlight. She gave up on all her dreams and isolated herself from the world for years. After she married, she said her relationship with her husband was cold and distant and she said if it wasn’t for her commitment to God at the alter, she would have never stayed with him. “We were basically roommates” She said.

Today, looking back she wishes she would have pursued her dream of acting. She wishes she had a better relationship with her husband and son and she wishes she could go back in time and start over and live a more purposeful life. Now she lives with the pain of regret. Upon learning all this, I feared asking her about legacy because I didn’t want to hurt or offend her, but ended up asking anyways since she seemed to be very comfortable around me. I proceeded with, “Now I know I am young but I think about this all the time. I think about my actions today as a reflection of my legacy later. I don’t know how long I will be here so I want to make sure my actions count now. Have you thought about your legacy and what type of legacy you would like to leave behind?” I may be a bit naive but again her response surprised me. She told me that practically her entire life she didn’t even think about the end of her life. She focused so much on things in the moment that the future rarely entered her subconscious. She knew that if she thought about the future, it would guilt her into changing and pursuing something bigger. She felt safe in her mediocre lifestyle and was afraid of letting go of her past. She was trapped in her own thoughts and found peace there. But now looking back she says she thinks about legacy all the time. Although now she feels it’s too late. I tried to encourage her and offer some suggestions so that she could find peace with her regrets and still leave a positive legacy. I also asked if I could share her story with others to give hope to those struggling with an addiction, abuse, trauma, divorce, neglect or any other crisis so they could hopefully overcome those struggles and still be able to live a life of significance and not look back on their life with regrets. She was so delighted by that and I could just feel the weight of regret being lifted off her shoulders. I told her I would help her leave a legacy that will impact so many lives through her story. I will also continue to visit her and help her relive the positive memories from her past and share comments from people who have been impacted by her story.

In the beginning I mentioned that I was going to discuss the three levels of motivation found in Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady’s book and now you may be wondering why I shared this long story of a woman you don’t even know. It’s because the deepest level of motivation (Level 3) is purpose, destiny and legacy. All motivation comes from within. You are responsible for discovering what motivates you. Level 1 – Material success and level 2 – recognition and respect are, in my perspective, short term and short lived. You will always have level 1 and level 2 ‘motivators’ but if after you think about those, you are still laying on the couch watching TV, then chances are you are not motivated by them. Eventually you will need to get in touch with the deepest level of motivation – purpose, destiny and legacy. It may not be a primary motivator right away and that is why it is level 3. My prayer is that you think about it, discover it and pursue it.

This lady (who will remain nameless until I ask her permission to use her full name), understands now more than ever that life is so short. And if we are going to do something that’s going to impact the world, we need to start now. As Jill Guzzardo says, “you don’t have a thousand years to do this.” George Guzzardo says, “In all of civilization, our history has only lasted just a dot.” We have a big job to do if we are to change the cycle of decline our country is facing right now. It is our responsibility and our legacy to leave for the next generation. What will you do with your life that will be remembered throughout history?

Please share/comment at the bottom of this post how this one woman’s story has impacted you. She will be overfilled with joy to know that it’s not too late for her to make an impact and leave a legacy. Your comments do matter!

Also, take a look at this fantastic talk Orrin Woodward shared on Legacy:

For a long time I did not understand the power of dreaming; until I started learning from and associating with leaders like Orrin Woodward and George Guzzardo who are founders in the-life-business, From the time we are children we are told to dream big and never let anyone stop us from pursuing those dreams. But then as we grow up, we are told to get real or stop fantasizing on something that will never happen. What happened? When did life give us permission to stop dreaming?

As I write this and look around my bedroom, I never realized it but my room is full of wall hangings, pictures and nic-naks that say “Dream” or “Never give up” or “If you can dream it you can do it.” I even have a dream board hanging next to my closet so when I look for my clothes in the morning I am reminded again of what my dreams are. There must be about 10 reminders in my room to dream. But because I see them everyday, they don’t serve the same purpose as actually visualizing my dream or pursuing my dreams. Just as with all my reminders, we can get so used to the way things are that we forget what we are chasing after.

When I was younger I only had one dream and that was to be a professional basketball player and play for the New York Liberty in the WNBA. For as long as I could remember that was always on the forefront of my mind as I fought my way through the intense sport of basketball for as many as 18 years. When I realized that dream wasn’t going to come true, I started to shrink all other possibilities in my life too eventually throwing in the towel, like so many others do, when it comes to dreaming. I believe the reason so many people quit dreaming is for the fear of disappointment, pain and rejection. It’s just easier to not dream. Dreaming requires sacrifice, hard work and commitment. So is it any wonder why so many people quit dreaming?

The other night I had a great talk with my twin brother who has always done things polar opposite from me. You hear stories of most twins who are inseperable, have so many things in common and do everything together. Well that couldn’t have been further from the truth for Craig and I; he was gifted in media and technology while I was gifted in athletics, he was very sociable while I was very quiet and reserved, he didn’t like to learn in school while I loved to learn. It’s true we didn’t have anything in common but when it came to passion and dreaming in our adult life, we both share that commonality very well. It wasn’t until we both found something we were passionate about that we discovered this similarity.

Craig didn’t know it at the time but he was meant to be a musician. Check out this cute video of him playing the piano at about 2 years old:

Craig went 20 years pursuing hobbies that he thought were his dreams. How many of us can relate? It wasn’t until a handful of years ago (after he graduated college) that he discovered his passion for music – more specifically the piano. He had never played a musical instrument in his life so he didn’t know a thing about reading sheet music or understanding keys. Ultimately Craig taught himself how to play the piano. Still to this day he can only play by ear. While he knows he has a lot to learn, Craig can visualize himself playing in front of 10’s of thousands of people. He can see himself producing records. He told me the other night that he has recorded every piece of music he has ever played even from the first day he started and that when he dies, those recordings will be very valuable. Craig says that when he is playing, it’s euphoric (he is in a state of intense and unbelievable happiness). He says he has never felt this way about anything before. Craig can see his dream so clearly that it is only a matter of time before he is living his dream.

You saw the before – now check out a piece of the after, it speeds up towards the end and he starts to sing also:

Do you have a dream that is so clear, so vivid that you are only moments away from living it? Imagine the life with no dreams? It is not too late. If you still have breath, you can still dream. The-life-business provides a vehicle for non-dreamers to begin to dream again. That’s what it did for me! Orrin Woodward says, “the limiting factor on your success is not the size of the obstacles, but the size of your dream.” Don’t waste anymore time pursuing a life that is dream-less. Dig deep and discover the gifts you have, re-ignite the passion that has been inside you all along and never give up on pursuing your dreams.

Please share how the-life-business or any other vehicle has helped you to dream again. More specifically, what are some of those dreams you are chasing after?

Blessings, Kristen

Feel free to check out www.craigseidl.com for more information on his wedding photography and videography business.

In the last handful of years I have been studying people who have significant success in life. While it would be safe to say that having a good job and a loving family rises to the top of the charts for success, unfortunately, it’s not a reality. I have sat down with a lot of people and discussed topics that range from fun, finances and family to spirituality, significance and legacy. Every person’s definition of success is different, but what makes a stay at home, a teacher, an engineer, an electrician, a factory worker or a missionary different from a Ray Kroc, a Henry Ford, a Vince Lombardi, a Steve Jobs, a Sam Walton or an Orrin Woodward? All of them started out just like you and I, but they certainly didn’t stay there.

I don’t have a direct answer to what makes one person appear more successful than the other but I do have a prediction as to why there is a large gap that separates the factory worker who works hard, loves and provides for his family and an Orrin Woodward who also works hard, loves and provides for his family. From what I have learned, I believe there are 3 things that one must think about when determining what path will lead them towards success:

1) Entrepreneurship – one needs to have unlimited income potential and opportunity. While there is nothing wrong with having a job, if all you have is a job then you will always be in handcuffs that limit the control you have over your finances, your time and more directly any long-term success in your profession.

2) Work ethic – If you don’t eat, sleep and breathe what you do, then chances are you are not working hard enough. Most people are ‘doing their time’ but just enough to get by to not get fired. I believe it’s not just because they have lost desire and passion for what they do, it’s that deep down they know they are pursuing their bosses dreams and not their own so why work any harder than what’s needed to get the job done? (see #1) This could be one blog article in and of itself but one other issue I see with work ethic is distractions. Most people are busy doing the wrong things and by the end of the day they never accomplished anything that would move them closer to their own dreams.

3) Systems/Patterns – One needs a proven, predictable program that specifically guides an individual down a successful path. As I have heard Orrin Woodward say, “without a system, it’s like paddling in the middle of the ocean in a canoe without ever being able to see the shoreline.” You will never know which direction to go and chances are you will never get anywhere.

I know what you are thinking…but Kristen, there are so many more things that define success. Believe me, I know! There are hundreds of categories we could touch on that would broaden this topic but the goal of this article was not to talk about the definitions of success or what makes a person successful, the goal was to share perspective on HOW to pursue success in your own life by studying what other successful individuals are doing. Like I mentioned, these three things could each stand alone as their own article and it is my opinion based on what I have seen following the-life-business founders Orrin Woodward and George Guzzardo.

Take Sam Walton for example, born in Oklahoma, grew up during the Great Depression, fought to go to college where he earned an economics degree, received his first job working as a JC Penny manager and soon after getting married he joined the Army. After the war he decided to pursue entrepreneurship and used a 25,000 dollar loan to rent a shop franchisee chain of Butler Brothers in Newport in Arkansas. This shop is where they tested what would soon make the Walton’s very successful. Starting this new company was what Sam Walton did, it was who he was. He worked harder than anyone else and never gave up even during the most difficult times. Wal-Mart is now the benchmark for franchises all over the world. There are over 4,750 stores (mainly in the United States but internationally as well) and Wal-Mart employs over 1.4 million people. Sam Walton was the richest man in America during the years of 1985-1988 and his children today hold 5 of the top 10 spots for wealthiest people in America.

What Sam Walton did for retail, I believe Orrin Woodward is duplicating through compensated communities. While many of my previous articles have given the history of Orrin’s journey into entrepreneurship and his unwavering work ethic to get to where he is at today, I want to more specifically talk about how Orrin has mastered #3 – Systems and Patterns. Any success giant would tell you that #3 is probably the most crucial step in developing long-term systematic success. An entrepreneur can start their own company and work hard for years and years but if they never develop a way to duplicate or leverage their time using a system, they will always be limited by their own abilities. Years back, Orrin Woodward, through trial and error, running through mud, criticism, etc developed a program that literally revolutionized the industry of compensated community. He called it Power Player. When a person gets started in the-life-business, they are immediately introduced to the Power Player program. It has been proven over and over that power player is the only strategy that has ALWAYS worked no matter what product was being represented or what compensation plan was being used. It is a checklist of accomplishments that is specifically designed to help anyone achieve success using the-life-business model. It is 100% transparent and duplicatable. It is simple but it is not easy. Just know this, IT WORKS! I believe Power Player will be the play that is called as the 1,000,000th person walks through the doors of a leadership seminar. It will require thousands of people to accomplish power player over and over again to reach the TEAM’s destiny of 1,000,000 people.

For the first time, I know that ANYONE who decides to join Orrin Woodward in the-life-business and go Power Player over and over using compensated communities, will achieve success that most could only dream about. Success is created by design, it is a deliberate action to take the right steps in the right direction following the right system. Power Player is the play, will you have the courage to follow your own dreams and design the life you’ve always wanted? It starts with going Power Player!

I have been blessed with the opportunity to associate with brilliant minds such as Orrin Woodward and George Guzzardo. These days it is hard to find men and women who share a common vision and purpose for the future but in the LIFE/TEAM I am constantly surrounded by people such as this. A little over a week ago we had a monthly leadership seminar where Bob and Tina Rasmussen and George and Jill Guzzardo shared their wisdom with over 1,000 people. There were so many key nuggets that I was able to take from that meeting but the clincher for me was a poem that touched my heart that Bob shared at the end of his talk. I believe this poem is an exact reflection of the success journey and I want to thank Bob for sharing this and being a living example of a finisher in LIFE:

The Race

by: D.H. Groberg

“Quit! Give up! You’re beaten!”
They shout out and plead.
“There’s just too much against you now,
This time you can’t succeed!”

And as I start to hang my head
In front of failure’s face,
My downward fall is broken by
The memory of a race.

And hope refills my weakened will
As I recall that scene;
For just the thought of that short race
Rejuvenates by being.A children’s race – young boys, young men
How I remember well.
Excitement, sure, but also fear;
It wasn’t’ hard to tell.

They all lined up so full of hope;
Each thought to win the race,
Or tie for first, or if not that,
At least take second place.

And fathers watched from off the side,
Each cheering for his son,
And each boy hoped to show his dad
That he would be the one.

The whistle blew and off they went,
Young hearts and hopes afire!
To win, to be the hero there,
Was each young boy’s desire.

And one boy in particular
Whose dad was in the crowd,
Was running near the lead and thought
“My dad will be so proud!”

But as he sped down the field
Across a shallow dip,
The little boy who thought to win,
Lost his step and slipped.

Trying hard to catch himself
His hands flew out to brace,
And mid the laughter of the crowd,
He fell flat on is face.

But as he fell, his dad stoop up
And showed his anxious face,
Which to the boy so clearly said,
“Get up and win the race!”

He quickly rose, no damage done,
Behind a bit, that’s all –
And ran with all his mind and might
To make up for his fall.

So anxious to restore himself
To catch up and to win,
His mind went faster than he legs;
He slipped and fell again!

He wished that he had quit before
With only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now;
I shouldn’t try to race.”

But in the laughing crowd he searched
And found his father’s face,
That steady look which said again,
“Get up and win the race!”

So he jumped up to try again,
Ten yards behind the last –
“If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought,
“I’ve got to move real fast.”

Exerting everything he had
He gained eight or ten,
But trying so hard to catch the lead,
He slipped and fell again!

Defeat! He lay there silently
A tear dropped from his eye
“There’s no sense running anymore;
Three strikes, I’m out, why try?”

The will to try had disappeared
All hope had fled away;
So far behind, so error prone,
A loser all the way.

“I’ve lost; so what’s the use,” he thought.
“I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad
Whom soon he’d have to face.

“Get up!” an echo sounded low.
“Get up and take your place.
You were not meant for failure here.
Get up and win the race!”

With borrowed will, “Get up,” it said,
“You haven’t lost at all.
For winning is not more than this –
To rise each time you fall.”

So up he rose to win once more,
And with new commit,
He resolved that win or lose,
At least he wouldn’t quit.

So far behind the others now
The most he’d ever been
Still he gave it all he had
And ran as though to win.

Three times he’d fallen stumbling,
Three times he’d rose again,
Too far behind to hope to win
He still ran to the end.

They cheered the winning runner
As he crossed first place,
Head high, proud and happy,
No falling, no disgrace.

But when the fallen youngster
Crossed the line, last place,
The crowd gave him the greater cheer
For finishing the race.

And even though he came in last
With head bowed low, un-proud,
You would have thought he won the race
Just listening to the crowd.

And to his dad he sadly said,
“I didn’t do so well.”
“To me you won,” his father said.
“You rose each time you fell!”

No matter how tough the race gets, will you have the courage to finish it?

I was first introduced to the business of community building when I was about 18 years old. I was ignorant and naive and didn’t know what I didn’t know. I made decisions based on the information I was given growing up and little did I know that some of those decisions would cost me later. Entering college, I was given some information by my AAU basketball coach, Dave Chatmon, and he claimed it would help me in multiple areas of my life. I don’t really know specifically if it did help me at the time because I was only interested in learning about the area in which I was going to school to study; but in any case I do remember listening to the information. At the time we were associated with another company and working with a different organization other than TEAM. While I won’t go into the details of that experience, I can say that the reason I was not excited about the concept of community was because this company was strictly product focused and not community focused at all. I couldn’t see spending a bunch of money on stuff I would never use and trying to get my friends to buy it too. I liked the idea of learning but because my thinking was so far off, I didn’t have the hunger to learn any more than I already was in school.

A couple years into this venture we decided to break ties with the old company we were with and follow Orrin Woodward. I didn’t know who exactly Orrin was but I do remember seeing him at a conference and he seemed much different than the leaders we were working with in the other organization. Dave started to invest in some of Orrin’s materials and would borrow them to me to listen to. There was just something radically different about this man – and it was good. Once we severed ties with the old company my commitment level raised significantly. I loved the information I was learning and the association even more and I fell in love with the leaders we were following. In those years since I bought into the idea of developing communities and changing lives. Initially, most people get started in business because they want to make money, they want to get time back and they want to get out of debt. I personally didn’t get in for any of those reasons. In fact, to this day I have no idea why I decided to get in – the only common denominator was Dave Chatmon persistently encouraging me to do it. So from the perspective of someone joining a business who really wanted nothing to do with it and the fact that it was strictly product focused in something I had no interest in leads me to the purpose of this article. There had to be a plan. There had to be a reason I was introduced at an early age and why I am still around today.

I am sure many of you reading this can relate on some level. There are people you meet, situations you are in and obstacles you face that are completely disconnected with the plan that you construct for yourself. When I started to take this business serious, I was led to living rooms of people that I probably shouldn’t have been in; I met people that were part of my life for 30 minutes and I never saw them again. I have countless stories to tell that can only be added together using one word: providence.

Providence is defined as a manifestation of divine care or direction. Have you ever thought about yourself 5-10 years ago and if where you are today matches the life you thought you were going to have back then? When I was 18 I was sure that by the time I was 26 I would be out of college, working full time as a teacher, married with one child. That’s what I wanted back then for my life today. And when I actually stop to think, my life couldn’t be further from that plan. Yes I am out of college, but I am not teaching full time, I am not married and I have no children. In fact, I have thrown in the towel with my teaching degree and decided to pursue the-life-business as a full time profession in developing communities of people. My career has changed completely. Do you think that was the work of me? Or the work of God?

Today, when we go out into the living rooms of America we don’t have to hide behind a product that is expensive and useless. We don’t have to get passionate about something we really aren’t excited about…we actually get to lead with making a difference and use our LIFE products on the back end to change their life. Ever since the-life-business launched I have run into more and more people who are just looking to do something bigger with their life. Most people are not getting started in the-life-business to make another dollar, they are getting started because they want to affect change in our culture. They can feel the passion coming from the leaders on the audios, they can see the hope in people’s eyes at the meetings and they want to feel that. LIFE is leading people to a lifetime of learning, of changing and of becoming the person God designed them to be. Most people now, if they stick around for even 3 months, recognize the providential plan that it took to lead them to LIFE. It took me 6 years to recognize that plan!!

Can you imagine the impact the-life-business will make when more and more people are experiencing transformational changes in their life within just months of getting started? No longer does it become about a product, now it is about following God’s plan. Orrin Woodward, Chris Brady, George Guzzardo and all the LIFE founders have figured out something no company has ever figured out… how to lead people to truth using a business they can make a difference in. I know in my heart that being led to this company and these leaders was nothing short of providential and because of what they have created, more and more people will recognize the divine plan that led them to you. I know this is God’s plan for my life, have you recognized that this might just be God’s plan for your life too? What do you plan to do with what you have been given?

Anyone who knew me even 5 years ago knows that reading was not my strong suit. I only bought books in college because they were required but very rarely even opened them. Before then I relied heavily on Cliffsnotes and maybe only read a couple books cover to cover during my conveyor belt of education. Required reading turned me off because it never dealt with issues that I was actually interested in. And because of this I had no interest in reading for pleasure. When I got started in the-life-business I was told that reading 15 minutes a day was essential to developing as a leader. As you can imagine, that was not music to my ears. Every time I picked up a book I had flashbacks of the terrible titles I was required to read in high school and college and couldn’t keep my focus past the first couple of pages. Interestingly enough, I started to pick up titles such as, Personality Plus, The Slight Edge and The Magic of Thinking Big. All of the sudden I caught myself getting through chapters at a time without even picking my head up to look at the clock. From that point on I knew there was something to this personal development stuff. While it certainly didn’t happen overnight, now I can say that I enjoy reading and look forward to it and often read 3-4 books a month.

One of the best examples I have been able to learn from is LIFE founder GeorgeGuzzardo. From what I have learned about George, he too struggled with reading in his earlier days. And over time, as he studied the top 5 books, titles on economics, relationships and history, George has gained a widespread popularity in the TEAM as being named ‘the professor.’George’s thirst for new knowledge from reading has developed a hunger in so many others. It’s very inspiring for me to see a man who I believe has so much wisdom already but yet still has the humility to pick up another book and continue to learn more. I don’t think there is any better example to learn from than George Guzzardo in understanding the power of reading. Please check out Orrin Woodward’s blog to learn more about George and some of the impact he has made as a lifetime learner.

While the cyber world is kicking every other trends butt in business, I have not heard of a company yet that combines the fast growing trend of technology with the even faster growing trend of offline community building. Every business owner I talk to has the same question in mind, how do we build long term customer and member loyalty in our community? On average Google receives a little over 400 million searches per day. Every company that exists must have a website in order to be in business; if they don’t they will soon be out of business. So we recognize that the competitive advantage is a website. But no longer does having a website apply to being competitive because now it’s a necessity for business. How does Facebook generate 1 billion users in their online community – without adding one bit of tangible value to ones life? How come the average company can barely create a loyal community of hundreds, let alone thousands, millions or even billions. Even universities have a less than 5 year commitment from their members. Most people, once they graduate, are so numbed by the debt they owe on their education they have no desire to give more (as an alumni) to support the institution. And not only is it tough for businesses to build community online, it’s nearly impossible because of the competition. Unless there is some way to take those online communities offline. Enter the-life-business.

I am so stinkin’ pumped about the record breaking growth the-life-business is experiencing right now. I read the statistics of what Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc experience online and my perception is that their numbers are small compared to where the-life-business is going as far as long term loyalty to an offline community. What Orrin Woodward, Chris Brady and the rest of the LIFE founders have put together is truly epic. Once someone wraps their head around LIFE’s potential, their is no stopping what can be done. And as more people believe, that’s when amazing growth begins to happen. Well, right now I feel more people believe than any other time in TEAM’s recorded history. Let me explain the ramifications of what the LIFE founders have done:

1) When starting a company, people want to know the investment per dollar and how fast they can receive a potential return on that investment.When someone get’s started in LIFE they now have the option of getting started in their own company for $49.99. With that initial investment they are receiving their first inventory shipment of a book with 3 audios. And not only that, they receive 50 points of volume with that initial investment which prepares them (with the help of Team Approach) for a return on their investment their 1st month in business. Their LIFE business website is absolutely FREE (which normally would have costed $35) if they get started this particular way. If that doesn’t sound ridiculously unrealistic, just wait until you read the rest.

2) After the initial investment, business owners want to know how much the ‘classes’ or ‘meetings’ will cost in order to build a successful business or community.The-life-business prides itself on it’s information and association. Not only does one get paid to read, listen and associate, when a new member decides to get started in LIFE, they receive 30 days of FREE open meetings and challenge groups (Which is normally an $80 value for a husband and wife building the business with 40 points towards their business). We know that positive association is the key to loyalty in community so the LIFE founders thought it would be valuable to give new members a taste of the association for a month before investing in it themselves. (I personally fell in love with the association and I think this is a priceless commodity that is really undervalued). But why not get a taste of it yourself, heck, it’s FREE for 30 days with your enrollment.

3) And how about training… Every business owner knows that in order to be successful, training is a must. You can’t expect to buy a McDonald’s franchise for over $1,000,000 and not get some type of training on how to run the franchise. Same principles apply in LIFE. If you have never built a community before, then you can’t expect to build one without the proper training.The TEAM training system was designed for just that reason. It is the secret to building a massive LIFE community (although it’s not really a secret since we tell you right out of the gates it’s important). I have never heard of anyone making it long term without the use of the TEAM training system. And with your enrollment in the TEAM training system, you will receive 4 FREE months of the TEAM’s world class electronic business center (EBC). This is normally a $45 value at enrollment but TEAM will reward anyone who chooses to take the right steps out of the gate and get started on the training system will get their business building website for FREE the first 4 months. I know you are wondering, what is the cost of the TEAM training system? $24 every 2 weeks (plus shipping and tax). You are getting world class teaching on building communities for less than it would cost your family to go out to eat one night. One 4 credit biology course costed me more than 2 years of being on the TEAM training system. You do the math.

4) And last but not least…what about products? Every business has to have a product or service. Is this one of those things where I have to spend hundreds of dollars a month and stock stuff in my basement? Absolutely not! When you get started in LIFE for $49.99 you will be set up for your first subscription which is valued at $50.00 per month. That first subscription will not be processed for 30 days from enrollment and will be your first ‘product’ shipment. Not only does this information never stock up, you will probably want more of it faster than it can come to your doorstep. That first subscription is also valued at 50 points for $50. I don’t know of any other company that has a volume per dollar ratio as lucrative as LIFE. And with the growth that is happening right now, I would not be surprised if you received a check your first month in business because of the team working together to build your community.

If you read this all correctly, with the optional enrollment of getting started for $49.99 you are actually getting $160.00 of FREE ‘stuff’ just by getting started RIGHT! And anything you do invest in your first 30 days is tangible, valuable information that you can use to grow yourself, your business and to share with others. Is it any wonder why more people than ever are getting started in the-life-business RIGHT NOW!

So how does this enrollment equate to long term loyalty in community? To answer this I will just briefly share my personal story. I got started by listening to the information that was given to me by my mentor. I was able to apply the information immediately into my life. Then I was invited to meet some of the members of the community. As soon as I met the high quality, caring people that were associated, I was impressed. I started to show up regularly (as if it was a regularly scheduled basketball practice). I fell in love with the TEAM and started to invite some of my friends because I didn’t want to keep this all to myself. Soon after I started learning and inviting, I started to get some results; money started to come in. I was actually getting paid to educate myself, associate with incredible people that made me feel special and share the information with people I cared about – in turn making a difference. Today, I couldn’t imagine not being part of the community, learning the information packed in the CD’s and books, and sharing it with others who are looking for a chance just like I was. Just because over a little time I took the exact steps that were recommended, the community found a member (in me) forever. I would never quit this! The money is just an added bonus to being in business – which also creates long term loyalty. And by the way, the compensation plan is among the best in the industry.

I know the skeptical person is still raising a lot of questions and we respect that. But while you question whether this will work, we are proving that it does. What is the worse thing that could happen. Most of us have spent $49.99 on things that certainly were less valuable than it costs to get started in LIFE. I can’t wait for Orrin Woodward to announce the growth in the next 30 days of this new enrollment process launching. I know that in my own community, the growth has been better in the last week than it has been in the last 3 months combined… and my community is small compared to all the other communities that are associated with LIFE. I know the results will speak for themselves.